Punctuation: Simplifed and Applied (Webster's New World)

When in doubt, look it up!

THE PRACTICAL, ACCESSIBLE GUIDE TO CORRECT PUNCTUATION

Whether you're writing a business report or a book report, creating an article for a newsletter, writing a note to your child's teacher, a personal letter, or a cover letter, using proper punctuation helps you make your points clearly and make a good impression. This user-friendly reference helps you quickly find the commonly accepted rule for any given situation, and even explains when to make exceptions to the rules.

Webster's New World Punctuation: Simplified and Applied is packed with information and features, including:

• An overview of the importance of good punctuation
• Clear, concise explanations of difficult rules
• Easy-to-understand examples that make applying the rules a snap
• Cautions that alert you to common pitfalls
• An overview of punctuation in common writing formats, ranging from business letters to e-mails to desktop publishing
• Guidelines for citations in more formal writing

Until now, people haven’ t known where to get quick answers to their punctuation questions. This user-friendly reference helps writers quickly find the commonly accepted rule for any given situation, and even points out when to make exceptions to the rule. Webster’ s New World Punctuation explains the importance of good punctuation and offers easy-to-understand examples that make applying the rules a snap, clear and concise explanations of difficult rules, and a section on common punctuation pitfalls. Covering all common forms of writing, from personal letters to PowerPoint presentations, Webster’ s New World Punctuation is a must-have reference for homes, businesses, and classrooms.

Geraldine Woods (New York, NY) has taught English for 35 years and is currently an educator at the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, New York. She has written or cowritten over 45 books, including English Grammar For Dummies (0-7645-5322-4) and The SAT I For Dummies, 6th Edition (0-7645-7193-1).

PART I: The Punctuation Marks.

1 The Period.

As an Endmark.

In Parentheses.

In Quotations.

In Abbreviations.

With an Ellipsis.

In Lists and Slide Presentations.

In Titles and Headings.

In Memos and E-mails.

In Web Addresses.

In Numbers.

2 The Question Mark.

To Ask a Question.

To Express Uncertainty.

To Make a Request.

In Quotations.

In Titles.

3 The Exclamation Point.

As an Endmark.

In Quotations.

In Titles.

In Parentheses.

4 The Comma.

To Create a Series.

In a Set of Descriptions.

To Set Off Nonessential Information.

To Set Off Interrupters.

When Combining Two Complete Sentences.

To Indicate Direct Address.

In Personal and Company Titles.

In Dates.5

In Addresses.

In Letters.

To Set Off Introductory Expressions.

With Short Questions.

In Mild Interjections.

In Quotations.

With Parentheses.

To Indicate Omitted Words.

In Numbers.

To Avoid Misreadings.

5 The Semicolon.

To Join Sentences.

With Adverbs.

In Complicated Sentences.

To Separate Items in a Series.

With Parentheses.

With Quotation Marks.

6 The Colon.

To Introduce a List.

To Introduce a Quotation.

To Join Two Thoughts.

To Designate Time and Titles.

In Business Writing.

7 Quotation Marks.

Direct Quotations in Sentences.

Blocked Quotations.

Quotations with Words Omitted.

Quotations with Words Added.

Indirect Quotations.

Definitions and Translations.

Special Terms.

Titles.

Punctuating Titles.

Distancing Quotation Marks.

8 The Dash and the Hyphen.

The Dash.

The Hyphen.

9 Parentheses and Brackets.

Parentheses.

Brackets.

10 Ellipses.

To Replace Omitted Words in Quotations.

To Show a Trailing Thought.

In Series.

11 The Slash.

To Indicate Alternatives.

To Link Elements.

To Link Word Pairs.

In Abbreviations.

In Web Addresses.

In Dates.

In Quoting Poetry.

In Citations.

12 The Apostrophe.

To Show Possession.

In Contractions.

In Expressions of Time and Value.

To Form Some Plurals.

PART II: Punctuation in Common Writing Formats.

13 Personal Letters.

Absence Note.

Thank-You Note.

Invitation.

Letter of Complaint.

Letter to the Editor.

Letter to an Elected Official.

Letter of Sympathy.

14 Business Letters.

Cover Letter for a Job Application.

Information Letter.

Performance Review.

Letter of Recommendation.

Letter Ordering Supplies.

Letter Returning Merchandise.

15 Memos.

To a Supervisor, Reporting on a Business Trip.

An Agenda for a Meeting.

Status Report.

Announcing a Promotion.

Warning to Improve Job Performance.

Policy Memo.

16 E-mails and Faxes.

An Informal E-mail to a Friend.

E-mails to Employees.

E-mail Notice of Travel Plans.

E-mail Announcement.

Fax Cover Sheet 1.

Fax Cover Sheet 2.

17 Presentations and Resumes.

Traditional Bulleted List: Complete Sentences.

Traditional Bulleted List: Incomplete Sentences.

Nontraditional Bulleted List.

Resume 1.

Resume 2.

18 School Assignments.

Book Report.

Essays.

Laboratory Report.

Laboratory Report, Continued.

Research Paper.

19 Desktop Publishing.

Newsletter Article.

Web Posting.

Advertisement.

Pamphlet Cover and Interior.

PART III: Citations.

20 Modern Language Association Citation.

Citations in the Text.

Citations in the List of Works Cited.

21 American Psychological Association Citation.

Citations in the Text.

Citations in the Reference List.

22 The Chicago Manual of Style Citation.

Citations in the Text.

The Reference List or Bibliography.

Index.